


(the best revenge is) a helping hand

by jdphoenix



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Past Kara Lynn Palamas/Grant Ward - Freeform, Season/Series 03
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-09-06 10:00:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20289610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jdphoenix/pseuds/jdphoenix
Summary: Grant's been looking forward to this.





	(the best revenge is) a helping hand

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shineyma](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shineyma/gifts).

> This is a birthday gift for the lovely shineyma and as such takes place long before canon went completely off the rails. I hope you enjoy, hon. <3

Grant’s been looking forward to this—not for long, admittedly, it only took about three weeks to pull the plan together and most of that was waiting for the opportune moment to act—so it doesn’t bode well for anyone that the second he turns the corner on what should be the final moments of said plan, his smile falls.

“What the hell?” he demands. Markham and Ortilla, unsurprisingly, stop in their tracks. Neither looks exactly scared, but Ortilla’s looking decidedly shifty. “I said not to hurt her.”

Their prisoner—and that is a _very_ loose term given how gently she’s been restrained with hands zip-tied in front and everything—is glaring daggers at him. Grant doesn’t see why; _he’s_ not the one who smacked her so hard there’s blood dripping from her mouth.

“Not her blood,” Markham says, cool as ice.

“She _bit_ me!” Ortilla- doesn’t yell, exactly, but the words are more shrill than Grant expects from his best agents. He keeps a firm grip on Simmons’ shoulder and holds out his free arm, showing Grant the bloody crescent just above his wrist. “She probably has some alien disease from that planet. I’m probably gonna get a parasite and our insurance doesn’t cover chestbursters!”

Rather than answer, Grant bites his tongue. Between Ortilla’s outrage and Simmons’ proud grin, it’s the only way to keep from laughing outright. He suspects that’s why Markham’s expression is frozen so cold.

“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” he says and turns his smile on Simmons. “Let’s get you cleaned up.” Fairly confident she won’t bite him—and that, if she tries, he can take her—he pulls her away from the guys and into the nearest bathroom.

“You want me pretty before you start putting needles under my nails?” she asks.

He shoves her at the sinks. “Needles are for people who hurt the people I love. From what I hear, you were nice to Kara.”

For the first time since he rounded that corner, he gets to see some sign of fear in Simmons. It’s not much, just that stillness tiny animals get around big, scary predators.

He doesn’t know _why_. He basically just told her he’s got no reason to hurt her.

Of course she did spend six months on an alien hellhole since the last time they met. A thing like that’ll fuck you up.

That or she’s just so biased against all things Hydra she assumes he’s lying even when there’s no conceivable reason to do so.

He shakes his head over the ridiculousness of SHIELD agents and nods to the sink. “Do you _want_ Ortilla’s blood in your mouth? Do you know where that guy’s been?”

With a grunt she turns on the taps and starts wiping and spitting until the water runs clear. “Why?” she asks between mouthfuls. “Why does it matter what I look like? If you’re gonna send the team a threatening video to let them know you’ve got me, surely some blood will only further your plans.”

“For a genius you’re not doing too hot today. Only two right assumptions so far and one of them’s obvious: this is about hurting the team.”

The taps squeak angrily when she turns them off. “Naturally.”

He steps close, close enough she doesn’t notice one of his hands slipping into his pocket. “I’ve been working on this plan for weeks, ever since my spies in SHIELD told me all about what happened to you. I thought to myself ‘how can I use this to hurt the team.’ Once I had the idea, it only took me a day or two to get all the pieces in place, then I just needed to get my hands on you.” He brushes her hair back. Her skin is cold under his knuckles.

“It won’t work,” she says, lifting her chin the same way she did all those months ago when she dared him to kill her. This time he can see the scars that hellhole left on her. And the purple circles beneath her eyes. She hasn’t been sleeping. “They missed me, yes, but they would’ve gotten over it.” Her throat works and her chin wavers. “They did. They will again.”

A click sounds between them and he feels the barrel of his own gun pressed to his gut.

“But they won’t miss you.”

She’s so cold, so sure of herself. He’s impressed, honestly. That planet may’ve fucked her up, but he can’t say he hates it.

Before she can pull the trigger, a snap sounds. She’s so shocked by the sudden release of the zip-tie that it’s child’s play to pluck the gun from her fingers.

Regret and grief flicker over her face. He returns the knife to his pocket while they pass, then uses the gun to wave her to the door. Once they’re in the hall he holsters the damn thing and drops an arm around her shoulders. (He keeps her on the side _opposite_ the gun, of course.) She’s stiff against him, but doesn’t try to get away or slow him down. Which is good because he’s seriously getting antsy for the culmination of his plans here.

“I told you, this isn’t about hurting you. You were nice to Kara. You, I like.”

She looks at him askance. Her mouth is actually hanging open like she cannot even believe. It’s great, really. “I _tried to kill you_. Twice!”

He shrugs like it was nothing, which it was. She never _actually_ hurt him, which is more than he can say for the rest of the team. “No harm, no foul, right?”

“You,” she says, “are absolutely insane.”

Now that’s just hurtful. Simmons saw him when he was playing crazy down in that cell. And, if he’s honest, it wasn’t all playing. He might’ve been a little crazy-obsessed with Skye there for a minute. Thank God Kara came along and showed him what real love is, pulled him out of that pit he dug for himself.

He knows if he said as much to Simmons, she wouldn’t believe it. Kara said all sorts of nice things about Simmons after they reunited, but she also told him how determined she and all the others were to convince her that her feelings for Grant were just another form of conditioning. He could let that hurt him, but he chooses to be amused. After all, if it weren’t for Kara and their relationship, he might not have done any of this.

“What was the other thing?” she asks, as they near their destination. She’s going tense beneath his arm, like she can sense the time is coming. “That I was right about?”

He waits until they’re stopped in front of the right door to answer. “That I want you pretty for this.”

He swipes his thumb over the electronic lock to gain access. The sound of the release is enough to get the attention of the person inside, so he’s looking right at the door when it opens. It couldn’t have gone better if Grant had planned it that way.

“The guy deserves that much, don’t you think?”

Simmons’ answer, if she even has one, is lost beneath her gasp. It’s this tiny little sound he’s not sure he would hear if he weren’t so close, like a wounded bird might make. Then she’s running the three steps into the room and into Will’s arms.

Maybe it’s that two weeks of solid meals can’t make up for a decade of malnutrition, maybe it’s that he’s not used to Earth’s gravity yet, maybe it’s just that he doesn’t give a shit about keeping his feet. Either way Simmons knocks him right back onto his bed.

Grant waits a minute to see if they’ll resurface, but as they seem pretty firmly attached to each other’s faces, he decides to leave them to it. “You two kids have fun,” he says and gets no response.

The lock on the door clicks shut behind him, ensuring they’re secure for the time being.

“Sir?” Markham asks as he falls into step behind him.

“Let them enjoy their reunion. If Simmons hasn’t broken them out by tomorrow-” and it’s a fifty-fifty shot whether she will or she’ll be too busy fucking Will’s brains out to bother- “we’ll let them go as planned.”

“You sure?” Ortilla asks. “I’m just saying, there’s gotta be a more hands-on way to hurt SHIELD.”

“Oh, I’m sure Daniels has his hands all over this one,” Grant says. Neither of them laugh. He’ll have to find a way to tell that one to Aldridge later. “Besides, there’s not a single member of Coulson’s inner circle who doesn’t want to see Simmons end up with Fitz. Killing her won’t hurt them half as much as sending her back in good health with her space boyfriend.”

Even if killing her would do a better job, he meant what he said. Kara liked her and that’s reason enough to let her live. He sincerely hopes she enjoys her happy ending. She’ll need Daniels’ shoulder to cry on when Grant kills all of her friends.


End file.
